Without advance warning, ballistic missiles are hard for Ukraine to stop
Air defenses need to know a launch is coming, and this week that warning did not arrive.
Up First from NPR · Ukraine's President Sits With NPR, Pope Leo Cancer, Ambassador Guilfoyle Forced OutWhen NPR Ukraine correspondent Joanna Kakissis spoke with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, in Kyiv on Tuesday, they discussed the attack from Monday night. Five Russian ballistic missiles were headed toward Kyiv and the Kyiv region, aimed mostly at the railway, and Ukraine did not have advance word that they were coming.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia's ballistic missiles are difficult for Ukrainian air defenders to intercept, so his forces count on Ukrainian and foreign intelligence to get ready. He said of the failure to get information that night, "This is really our weak place."
An air defense crew needs to know a launch is likely, where the missile is headed, and when to be ready to fire. Because a ballistic missile moves so fast, without that warning there is little time to get ready.
Zelenskyy said that over the last two nights Ukraine had gone without warnings about incoming Russian ballistic-missile attacks. His commanders had been informed the gap was a technical glitch. He also said Ukraine still gets necessary information from the United States while drawing on other sources, after diversifying its foreign intelligence sources when Washington paused sharing in early 2025. He said, "We get from the United States very necessary information, but not only from the United States."
He said stopping these missiles is a priority. Over recent days, missile attacks in Ukraine have killed dozens of people.
Questions people ask
How is a ballistic missile different from other missiles?
A ballistic missile is powered upward at first and then falls back toward its target, much of the way without power, at very high speed. A cruise missile stays powered and flies relatively low and slow, more like a pilotless airplane, so there is more time to spot and intercept it.
Why would Russia target a railway?
Railways move soldiers, weapons, fuel, and civilians, and the tracks, bridges, and stations are hard to hide or quickly replace. Damaging them can slow military supply and daily life around a major city like Kyiv. Ukraine's rail system has been central to both evacuation and resupply during the war.
What does intelligence warning actually give air defenders?
It can include signs of launch preparations, the expected time and direction, and tracking data that tells radar operators where to look. That lets crews turn on sensors, position interceptors, and warn civilians. Without it, a fast incoming missile may be seen only when it is too late to stop.